Car-coupling



' L- WQ ATES. GAR COUPLING.

( o Model.)

No. 253.998. 7 Pafiented Fb. 21.15882;

jig. ,e,

NTOR ATTORNEYS.

' NI'TED STATES PATENT OFFroE.

LLOYD w. earns, or CALHOUN, KENTUCKY.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 253,998, dated February 21, 1882.

Application filed December 29, 1881. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LLOYD WARFIELD GATES, of Calhoun, in the county of McLean and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oar-Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the annexed drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to safety car-couplings; and its principal feature consists of a concentric coupling-hook, which is adapted to engage with a link automatically, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a horizontal section of two draw-heads coupled together. Fig. 2 is avertical section ofa drawhead on line as m of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is avertical section of a draw-head, showing'a modifica-tion.

Referring tothe drawings, A represents a draw head having a horizontal cylindrical chamber, a, formed at the rear of the mouth a, and transversely thereto. ings formed in the sides of the draw-head is supported a shaft or axle, b, which is constructed with a crank, 12, at the. center adapted to be rotated within the chamber a. From the center of the crank 1) projects a concentric hook, 0, so constructed that the center of the arc represented by the hook shall coincide with the longitudinal center of the axle at its ends, and adapted to fit the cylindrical chamber a,where'- by it shall be supported against the inner surface thereof when in engagement with the link d.

'lhe axle I) and hook c are to be constructed of wrought-iron, and the crank b is to be provided with an enlarged portion, 11 which shall serve the purpose of a weight to hold the crank at the bottom of the chamber a. This enlarged portion will also serve, by means of a suitable projection, 11 within the chamber, to limitthe oscillation of the crank to about one-half a revolution, so that when the crank is turned upward the book will be lowered to admit the link, and the impact of the link will cause the crank to turn downward, in which latter position it will be held by the force of gravity.

in suitable bear-v As a further means of weighting the crank for the purpose of holding the hook in engagement with the link, a pulley or lever on either side of the draw-head,havingasuitable weight, or hand-wheels, are to be secured to the outer ends of the shaft 11. By means of said pulley and hand-wheels or lever and suitable connections leading to different parts of a car the hook is to be set or the link uncoupled.

As a modification of my invention, the hook audits shaft may be so arranged that the movement of the hook shall be the reverse of that above described. As shown in Fig. 3, the hook is adapted to move downward to engage with the link, the weighted crank being arranged I to move sufficiently above the pointof the hook to beheld in said position by theforce of gravity.

Besides the ordinary coupling-link I design to use a link with cross-bars, as shown, to limit the entrance of the hook beyond a given point. When the link is coupled to one drawhead it will be held in position automatically for coupling with another draw-head; but the hook must always be setbefore the coupling can be accomplished.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A car-coupling consisting of a concentric hook secured to a crank-shaft, combined with a draw-head having a cylindrical chamber for containing the hook and a stop for limiting the rotation of the shat t, substantiallyas shown and described.

2. The combination of a draw-head having a cylindrical chamber formed at the rear of its mouth, and transversely thereto, a crank-shaft having its crank weighted and provided with a concentric hook, and means for limiting the rotation of the shaft, and a suitable device for operatingthe shaft, substantially as shown and described.

G. W. TIEHONE, J. T. LUToN. 

